2024-11-24T17:03:32-05:00 https://archinect.com/news/article/135191874/lonely-planet-names-queens-ny-the-no-1-travel-spot-in-the-us-for-2015 Nicholas Korody 2015-08-26T16:13:00-04:00 >2018-01-30T06:16:04-05:00 <img src="https://archinect.gumlet.io/uploads/pp/pppk2s3kppkifear.JPG?fit=crop&auto=compress%2Cformat&enlarge=true&w=1200" border="0" /><em><p>Lonely Planet made a decision in December that stunned many in the travel industry, even those deeply invested in promoting the borough. It named Queens the No. 1 travel destination in the United States for 2015. Yes, Queens. Not Miami, the Grand Canyon, Washington, San Francisco or, more to the point, Manhattan, but rather New York City&rsquo;s equivalent of a flyover state, perhaps most famous for two sitcoms, one featuring a food-fixated deliveryman and the other a xenophobic bigot.</p></em><br /><br /><p>According to data from&nbsp;NYC &amp; Company, the city&rsquo;s tourism marketing agency, the amount of visitors to the outer borough increased around 12 percent in a single year, between 2012 and 2013. Queens is also reported to be in the midst of a major hotel building boom, with five new ones opening last year alone.</p>